Wildlife · Birding · Private
Rift Valley Birding Trail
From Afro-alpine endemics on the Sanetti Plateau to Rift Valley waterbirds — a focused southern and lakeside list.
The Journey
7 nights, designed around the hours that matter
Ethiopia holds close to two dozen endemic bird species across sharply different habitats. This route stays in the Rift and Bale systems (with a Debre Libanos finale for gorge raptors), timed for the clearer, cooler months when highland endemics are most reliable.
Who this is for
Active travellers comfortable with 8 Days that include real walking, altitude and early starts.
What this is not
Guests who prefer purely vehicle-based sightseeing, low elevation, or no trail days at all.
Places
- Rift Valley Lakes
- Bale Mountains
- Lake Hawassa
- Debre Libanos
Tailor-made journey
Priced to your plans
Quoted individually once we know your dates, lodges and group size.
- Duration
- 8 Days · 7 nights
- Best season
- Oct – Apr
- Group size
- 2 – 6 guests
- Style
- Wildlife · Birding · Private
Final pricing depends on season, room category and group size. No deposit is taken until the itinerary is right.
Day by Day
The itinerary, as it usually runs
A working draft rather than a fixed schedule — we move days around for weather, festivals and how you are feeling.
Day 1
Arrive Addis Ababa
A briefing with your ornithologist and an afternoon at the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society grounds for a first urban highland list.
Day 2
Ziway & Langano
South into the Rift: Lake Ziway for pelicans, storks and herons, then lakeshore scrub around Langano for dryland species at dusk.
Day 3
Abijata-Shalla & onward to Bale
Flamingos and shorebirds around Abijata-Shalla in the morning, then the climb toward Dinsho and the northern Bale forest edge.
Day 4
Sanetti Plateau
A full day above 4,000 metres for Afro-alpine endemics — Rouget's rail, spot-breasted plover, and the plateau's specialist grassland birds — with Ethiopian wolf as a non-avian bonus.
Day 5
Harenna forest
Drop into the cloud forest on Bale's southern face for highland forest species, then begin the return toward the Rift.
Day 6
Hawassa lakeshore
A boat and shoreline morning on Lake Hawassa for African fish eagle, weavers and wetland specialty birds, with an easy afternoon to catch up the checklist.
Day 7
Debre Libanos & the Jemma Gorge
North of Addis for the gorge escarpment: raptors on the thermals and gelada on the cliffs below — a different habitat finish to the trip.
Day 8
Addis & Departure
A final checklist review over breakfast, then an evening departure.
What Is Included
- A resident ornithologist and endemics specialist throughout
- Domestic flights where useful and private 4x4 transfers
- Private boat sessions on the Rift Valley lakes
- All national park fees, scouts and permits
- Full board at lodges chosen for proximity to habitat
- A species checklist and daily sightings log
Not Included
- International flights and Ethiopian visa fees
- Travel insurance (required)
- Personal optics and field guides
Enquire
Make Rift Valley Birding Trail yours
Send us your dates and we will confirm availability, quote precisely, and suggest the two or three changes we would make if it were our own trip.
Runs Oct – Apr · 2 – 6 guests · priced to your plans
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Speak With a Designer
Questions before you enquire?
Altitude, road time, how hard the walking really is, whether the children will cope. Ask us anything — a designer will answer honestly.
Or call us directly on +1909-450-7246